Law & Order Special Victims Unit, also known as Law & Order: SVU, is an American crime drama television program created by Dick Wolf's production company Wolf Entertainment for NBC. It was the first Law & Order spin-off. Christopher Meloni starred as Det. From the first season, it featured Christopher Meloni as Det.
The series premiered on September 20, 1999. The series' 21st season premiered in September 2019. It became the longest-running U.S. primetime live-action series [5] and the only primetime live-action series to debut in the 1990s. Law & Order Special Victims Unit aired 500 episodes as of October 21, 2021. This surpasses the original Law & Order series' episode count. SVU is now fourth in terms of primetime scripted series episode count, behind Gunsmoke (635 episodes) and Lassie (591 episodes). The series was renewed in February 2020 through its 24th season. Its 23rd season aired on September 23, 2021. This episode marked the 500th episode.
This series received 91 nominations for awards and won 33 awards. Mariska Hargitay, a regular cast member of Law & Order, won the Primetime Emmy Award in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
